It felt as though her lungs were on fire. The femme could hear the slaver cursing somewhere behind her, forcing her onward despite the fact she was exhausted. She hadn’t slept or eaten in almost a full day… and the girl wasn’t going to let that all be for naught. She had to keep pushing on… had to get away… but it felt like everytime she got ahead or lost the slavers they seemed to discover her once more. They were persistent on getting her back… a female who had helped more than a couple of slaves escape their grasp. In their eyes she needed to be punished… but Aria was through with that sort of treatment. She’d had enough of being their little toy. “Give up already, you bastard!” Aria screamed over her shoulder. Adrenaline and pure will was what drove her to keep going now. She was doing her best to keep ahead, racing around some trees. Her golden eyes were frantically scanning for something she could use to distract the one behind her… something to help her get away. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth and her ears were tilted back as Aria furrowed her brow. Maybe she could hide in some place the slaver couldn’t get to? He was much bigger… bulkier… if she squeezed into somewhere only she could fit then perhaps… Aria ducked down towards a dip in the trees. It was a long shot but she was hoping it would work. She began to wiggle through the roots, hoping that she was able to get through to the other side before the slaver caught up to her. ""

Chaos had been stalking marmots in the long grass, trying to get as close as possible and pouncing, but so far they had been giving him the slip in the tunnels each time. It was great fun, though, and his tongue was lolling out in a silly grin as he prepared another futile leap.

“Give up already, you bastard!”

The screamed words threw him off midleap and the alpha landed badly, one paw going into the marmot hole and drawing a yelp of pain as his ankle twisted and the gash on his leg reopened.

Growling to himself and limping, he turned to see who had shouted at him, to see a little female coming towards him, trying to squeeze through some roots. Burrowing his brow, he limped up towards her. "Hey, what's the big idea?" But his brow furrowed further at seeing how frantically she dug at the roots. "Something chasing you?" He glanced past her shoulder, looking for a bear or something, but couldn't see anything particularly alarming.

Aria hadn’t noticed the stranger until she heard his growl. She jumped, leaping to one side and bristling, baring her fangs as she expected to come face to face with one of her previous captors. But instead she saw a stranger… and a big one at that. He was as big as some of those slavers, actually… but he didn’t smell of them. No, his scent was foreign. The female stood there, panting a moment with ears pinned as she watched him warily, assessing him, registering in her mind that he wasn’t an enemy. Then, and only then, was she able to answer his question. “A slaver.” The female answered, her words quick as she glanced around back the way she’d come. She waited, ears strained, but it seemed that the man who had been following her might have given up. Maybe he was detered when he saw this stranger? “It looks like he gave up…” She was breathing hard still, gaze sliding to the man before her. “Forgive me if I startled you…” Aria still wasn’t sure what to make of the one before her and she shifted uneasily on her feet. As tired as she was… she wasn’t sure she was prepared to rest. The slaver could be waiting… and this man was just a stranger. There was nothing binding him to help her. In the end she’d be forced to fight or flee if that happened. ""

The little female jumped, bristling at him, but Chaos just stood with one brow cocked at her, his injured leg lifted to keep pressure off it, until she relaxed enough for an explanation. Damn but she looked familiar. He hadn't slept around quite thoroughly enough to have forgotten someone he'd screwed, so it must have been someone he'd only met in passing, maybe. "Slaver, eh?" He gave a cursory, lazy scan of the land behind her, coming up with nothing. "I wouldn't be too worried about it, no slaver's going to be stupid enough to mess with me." Not that he himself couldn't be classified as a slaver in some sense of the word, but he wasn't in the habit of just randomly snatching up loners as slaves, not unless they'd done something to warrant his ire. This pretty little female had not - hold up.

His gaze cut sharply back to the young female, giving her a much more thorough study, and he his stomach drop abruptly, like a stone rested in it. Oh, wonderful. Just... just peachy. The toning and shades of her fur, that marking pattern across her back, the willowy figure... no wonder she looked so familiar. And running from slavers to boot. He'd managed to drop himself squarely in Valentine's problem, hadn't he? And here he thought they'd just go kill some slavers, extract vengeance for the blow to the Imperialis pride, and that would be the end of things.

Things were rather more complicated than that, apparently.

"You got a name?" he asked, as casually as he could swing it.

Aria was slowly managing to catch her breath. The fact that the slaver didn’t dare approach with the dire wolf before her had her at ease for now. Sure this man could have easily been not friendly himself… but it seemed thus far she had lucked out. But goodness he was an interesting fellow with his markings and the large fangs that came out of his mouth. Aria found herself curious about them, not that she was going to ask about them. That would be rude. But still… she had little doubt fangs of that size were a force to be reckoned with in battle. The female breathed in as the man asked her name and dipped her head ever so slightly. “My name is Aria Destruction.” The female lifted her golden gaze back to the man, furrowing her brow a little. Why was it he looked at her so? Was it because she looked familiar to him? “Do you happen know my mother? She escaped from the slavers a little while back.” Aria fished for information hopeful that maybe, just maybe, she might be able to find out her mother and half brother had made it out alright. “Her name is Rhythm.” The female shifted a little, her demeanor calmer now. Even if she didn’t get to see her mother again yet… just knowing she was alright would be enough for her. ""

Chaos huffed out a sigh. Well that was just frigging great, wasn't it? Rhyme damned well better be grateful, because it looked like Chaos had managed to rescue his half sister from the big bad wolf. At least he knew where he could find Rhythm and drop the girl on her, wash his hands of the whole deal... though somehow Chaos was starting to think it wouldn't be that easy. No, surely there was some Grand Architect of some sort orchestrating all this, and he wasn't going to be let off with a simple coincidence like running into Rhythm's kid. "Yeah, I know Rhythm Destruction. Rhyme's my brother." He eyed her, then deliberately added "Half brother. He's off screwing around with his family in a pack in the east called Abaven." Oh, if only Chaos knew how true that was. "Rhythm's probably in my range though." He sent another searching glance over in the direction she'd been running from, his expression suddenly going cold and calculating. "If you were followed here, that's going to be a problem." It meant that they were running out of time.

Aria felt relief spread through her as the man spoke. So he knew her… and wait… what!? He was Rhyme’s brother? So that meant he was a sibling to her? Well, maybe anyway. With only half of his blood being the same as Rhyme’s there was a chance that he wasn’t actually related to her… but details! Either way he knew her mom and that was enough for Aria in that moment. The pack named Abaven was noted in her head as Aria listened to him continue. By how he talked she guessed he at least had a band of followers in the range… and that her mother was probably there too. Though she was tired, Aria’s expression grew serious as she spoke up again. “I know. Several of us escaped this last time and there’s many more back at their camp.” Goodness knew if any were her siblings. “They sent hunters after those who escaped.” Aria’s golden eyes narrowed. “They were mad enough about Rhyme and mom…” She paused before continuing. “Look -- you said Rhyme is this… Abaven pack, right? He’ll need to know about the hunters… and mom too. I can head to either of them. Just give me the directions and I’ll get the news to them no matter what.” Her words were sure. Even if she ran herself into the ground she’d make sure her family was informed and kept safe somehow. Even if she felt exhausted now… everything would be worth it if she got the message to them. ""